TRIP 6
SUMMARY

     Trip 6 was so long and covered so many areas that I decided to divide it into 4 parts, each of which may have an individual appeal for someone considering a cruise to that specific area. Part 1 covers the run from the New York City area up the Hudson River, west on the Erie Canal to Syracuse and north on the Oswego Canal to Oswego, NY, and down the St Lawrence River to Montreal, Quebec, Canada.  The Thousand Islands area is included in Part 1, along with 36 locks.

     Part 2 covers the Ottawa River from Montreal to Ottawa, and the Rideau Canal to Kingston, Ontario.  The Rideau Canal is 125 miles long and contains 44 locks.   Part 3 covers the route through the Bay of Quinte from Kingston to Trenton, Ontario, and then the Trent-Severn Waterway.  The Trent-Severn Waterway is 240 miles long and contains 42 locks and one marine railway.

     Part 4 covers the departure from Port Severn, Ontario to Georgian Bay, then the North Channel, and then Lake Michigan down to the Chicago area (Kenosha, WI).  There were no locks in part 4, bringing the total for Trip 6 to 123 locks and one marine railway.  Each part required about a week of travel and covered an area often written about in cruising articles in magazines.

     Fuel prices were high after we left the United States, but most other expenses in Canada seemed reasonable or inexpensive.  The exchange rate helped in this regard.  For example, slip rental might have been $1 per foot per night, which was not untypical in the US; but it was payable in Canadian dollars, saving over 30% due to the exchange.  Many items seemed to be higher priced due to the Canadian currency, but still seemed reasonable once converted to US dollars – groceries were a good example.

     In Canada we were charged for more things, but the amounts were not great.  For example, we had to pay to go through each lock, but the charges were not high.  If we tied up to the wall near a lock for the night, we had to pay a fee, which went up if they provided power, which was generally not available (same for water).  In the US in general, except for the Erie Canal, no charges are imposed to pass through the locks, and their approach walls are not available for tying up for the night.  The Erie Canal was an exception to both of those observations, and tying up to the wall was free wherever available.

     For Texas residents, used to high temperatures and high humidity, the weather in those areas was great, although it did rain regularly.  We experienced evenings down in the 50’s and 60’s (degrees F), and days in the 70’s usually.  Winds were often light and usually cool, and the skies were mostly bright blue with a few clouds for accents.

     The Canadian people were the friendliest I believe I’ve ever met.  I still can’t believe the cultural differences between New York and Montreal.  Almost everyone we met in Canada had a kind word for us and those about us, and many went out of their way to make us feel welcome.  The kind deeds also were very appreciated, and there were many to describe in the Logs.